Self-contained climate control system

ABSTRACT

A self-contained climate control system includes a housing having an interior defined as the space between the top, base and walls of the housing. In the interior of the housing are a refrigeration circuit, a conditioned air path, an exhaust air path and an electronic control circuit. The conditioned air path and the exhaust air path are separated by a housing partition, and the electronic control circuit is separated from both the conditioned air path and the exhaust air path by at least one electronics partition.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from and incorporates in its entiretyU.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/022,468, filed Jan. 21,2008, entitled “Self-Contained Climate Control System.”

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to climate control systems and, moreparticularly, to self-contained climate control systems.

2. Background Art

Typical climate control systems include an evaporator section and acondenser section. Conventionally, only the evaporator system is mountedindoors, while the condenser section is a separate outdoor unit. Thisarrangement is referred to as a split system. A split system isadvantageous because the exhaust air in the condenser section isseparated from the conditioned air in the evaporator section. There alsoexists a self-contained climate control system that incorporates boththe evaporator section and the condenser section into a single housing.In such a configuration, the evaporator section is typically isolatedfrom the condenser section so that the conditioned air in the evaporatorsection is isolated from the exhaust air in the condenser section.Climate control systems can be used to heat and cool air, as well ascontrol humidity.

When a self-contained climate control system is built, the electroniccircuits of each component, as well as electronics to control theclimate control system, are typically contained within the unit. Thiscan make repairs to the system difficult and expensive, as the interiorof the housing must be accessed. This can be exceptionally difficult forinstalled self-contained climate control systems.

When an exhaust blowing means is employed in the unit to assist inventing, there is an increased risk of injury to a repair technicianfrom contact with the blowing means.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved self-contained climatecontrol system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, a self-contained climate controlsystem includes a housing that defines a conditioned air path and anexhaust air path. A refrigeration circuit is disposed within the housingand includes all necessary elements so that the system can provideconditioned air. The self-contained climate control system also includesan electronic control circuit that controls the operation of therefrigeration circuit. The electronic control circuit is separated fromboth the conditioned air path and the exhaust air path by one or moreelectronics partitions.

The interior of the housing may also be configured such that one or morehousing partitions separate the conditioned air path from the exhaustair path.

When the electronic components are housed in a compartment separate fromthe conditioned and exhaust air paths, an electrical fire can beeffectively contained in the separate compartment. The partitions,therefore, retard or prevent the spread of an electrical fire througheither the conditioned air path or the exhaust air path. Anotheradvantage of the present invention is repair difficulty and cost may bereduced by allowing access to this electronics compartment from outsidethe housing. A further advantage of the present invention is that riskof injury to a technician from air path components can be reduced.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent in light of the detailed description onthe best mode embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective front, top and left side view of aself-contained climate control system according to a representativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the rear, right and top of theself-contained climate control system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the self-contained climate controlsystem of FIG. 1 showing the housing with panels removed;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of the front, top andleft side of the self-contained climate control system of FIG. 1 showingpanel installation;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the interior of the self-containedclimate control system of FIG. 2 showing a refrigeration circuit;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the refrigeration circuit ofFIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a partially exploded perspective view of the self-containedclimate control system of FIG. 2 showing a condenser fan, an evaporatorfan, an electronic control circuit and a housing partition;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the self-contained climate controlsystem of FIG. 3 showing a conditioned air path and an exhaust air path;

FIG. 9, is a partially exploded perspective view of the self-containedclimate control system of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective rear, left and top view of the self-containedclimate control system shown in FIG. 2 with the housing top and sidesremoved.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIG. 1, a self-contained climate control system 10 includesa housing 12 having a base 14, a top 16, a first end wall 18, a secondend wall 20, a first side wall 22 and a second side wall 24. The housing12 has an interior 26, bounded by the base 14, the top 16, the first andsecond end walls 18 and 20 and the first and second side walls 22 and24. The system can be used where a local environment has to be held tostrict air quality conditions, such as a wine cellar, a cigar shop, aflorist or any other environment where conditioned air is desired.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a first opening 27 in end wall 20 forms aconditioned air intake 28, allowing intake air 30 to pass through thehousing 12 and be drawn into the interior 26 so that intake air 30 maybe conditioned. Referring to FIG. 3, the housing 12 includes threeconditioned air exits 34, 36 and 38, which allow the conditioned air 32to be expelled from the interior 26 and exit the housing 12.

Still Referring to FIG. 3, a second opening 39 in end wall 18 forms anexhaust air intake 40, allowing intake air 30 to pass through thehousing 12 and be drawn into the interior 26 so that it may be convertedinto exhaust air 42. The housing 12 also includes three exhaust airexits 44, 46 and 48, which allow the exhaust air 42 to be expelled fromthe interior 26 and exit the housing 12.

Referring to FIG. 4, panels 50 and 52 can optionally be used to coverone or more conditioned air exits 34, 36 or 38 so that the conditionedair 32 is expelled from the interior 26 through only one or more desiredconditioned air exits 34, 36 or 38. Similarly, panels 54 and 56 canoptionally be attached to the housing 12 to cover one or more exhaustair exits 44, 46 or 48 so that the exhaust air 42 may be expelled fromthe interior 26 through only one or more desired exhaust air exits 44,46, or 48.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, a refrigeration circuit 58 is disposedwithin the interior 26. The refrigeration circuit 58 is similar torefrigeration circuits known in the art and includes a compressor 60, acondenser coil 62 and an evaporator coil 64. Piping 66 connects thecompressor 60, the condenser coil 62 and the evaporator coil 64 tocomplete the refrigeration circuit 58. Optionally, the refrigerationcircuit 58 may also include a filter dryer 68 and a thermal expansionvalve 70 connected with piping 66 between the condenser coil 62 and theevaporator coil 64. The refrigeration circuit 58 may also include anautomatic high pressure shut-off valve 71 connected with piping 66between the compressor 60 and the condenser coil 62. The automatic highpressure shut-off valve 71 shuts down the climate control system 10 ifrefrigerant pressure from the compressor 60 exceeds a preset threshold.The automatic high pressure shut-off valve 71 then automatically resetswhen the refrigerant pressure decreases below the predeterminedthreshold. A drain pan 72 is disposed below the evaporator coil 64 tocollect condensation. Referring to FIG. 7, a drainpipe 74 connects thedrain pan 72 to a condensate drain 76.

Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9, the interior 26 includes a conditioned airpath 78, which allows intake air 30 that is drawn through theconditioned air intake 28 to be conditioned and expelled from theinterior 26 through one or more conditioned air exits 34, 36 and 38.Starting at the conditioned air intake 28, the conditioned air path 78passes through the evaporator coil 64, which is where the intake air 30is converted into conditioned air 32. The conditioned air path 78 thenpasses through an evaporator fan 96, which is preferably an impellerblower with a direct drive motor. The conditioned air path 78 thenpasses through the interior 26 to the conditioned air exits 34, 36 and38.

The interior 26 also includes an exhaust air path 80, which is isolatedfrom the conditioned air path by a housing partition 82. The exhaust airpath 80 allows intake air 30 that is drawn through the exhaust airintake 40 to be converted into exhaust air and expelled from theinterior 26 through one or more exhaust air exits 44, 46 and 48.Starting at the exhaust air intake 40, the exhaust air path 80 passesthrough the condenser coil 62, which is where the intake air 30 isconverted into exhaust air 42. The exhaust air path 80 then passesthrough a condenser fan 98, shown in FIG. 7, which is preferably animpeller blower with a direct drive motor. The exhaust air path 80 thenpasses through the interior 26 to the exhaust air exits 44, 46 and 48.Preferably, the exhaust air path 80 also passes through a blower guard100 positioned between the condenser fan 98 and the exhaust air exits44, 46 and 48.

Referring to FIG. 10, the interior 26 also includes an electroniccontrol circuit 84. The electronic control circuit 84 is isolated fromthe conditioned air path 78 and the exhaust air path 80 by electronicspartitions 86 and 88. Referring back to FIG. 7, the electronic controlcircuit 84 controls the operation of self-contained climate controlsystem 10 and includes a compressor control 90, an evaporator fancontrol 92 and a condenser fan control 94. The electronic controlcircuit 84 should not be limited to compressor, evaporator fan andcondenser fan controls, but may also have electronics for additionalcomponents such as a climate control system incorporating adehumidifying means or a heating means. The electronic control circuit84 serves to group all electronic components of the self-containedclimate control system together.

Referring back to FIG. 1, to facilitate access to the electronic controlcircuit 84, the housing 12 may be equipped with an electronic accesspanel 102 that allows access to the electronic control circuit 84 fromthe exterior of the housing 12. Preferably, the electronic access panel102 is coupled to the housing 12 using a coupling means 104. Thecoupling means 104 is illustrated as hinges, but it should be understoodby those skilled in the art that the hinges could be replaced by othercoupling means to achieve a similar outcome. Even more preferably, theelectronic control circuit 84 is fixedly mounted to the electronicaccess panel 102, as seen in FIG. 7.

The self-contained climate control system 10 is preferably mountedthrough a wall of the conditioned environment, so that intake air 30 canbe directly drawn from the environment through conditioned air intake28. In such a configuration the width of the housing 12, or the distancebetween the first side wall 22 and the second side wall 24, is such thatit is less than the spacing between standard wall studs, such that thehousing 12 can be mounted through the wall, between studs, withoutnecessitating alterations to the wall studs. Preferably, the width ofthe housing 12 is 14.5 inches. This mounting system allows theconditioned air intake 28 to be fed directly with intake air 30 from theconditioned environment.

An alternative preferred mounting means exists to accommodate aself-contained climate control system 10 with a larger housing 12, whichmay be necessary to provide greater climate control capability, or ifthe unit cannot be mounted through a wall. In this embodiment, air istransported to and from the conditioned air path 78 and the exhaust airpath 80 through the use of air ducts (not shown). The ducting of climatecontrol systems is known in the art and will not be discussed in furtherdetail. It should be noted that the installation is not limited tosolely direct or ducted configurations, but that any combination ofdirect and ducted air supply and return can be employed as desired.

In operation, the electronic control circuit 84 initiates operation ofthe compressor 60, the evaporator fan 96 and the condenser fan 98simultaneously through compressor control 90, evaporator fan control 92and condenser fan control 94, respectively. The initiation of thecompressor 60 begins operation of the refrigeration circuit 58, which iswell known in the art.

The operation of the evaporator fan 96 draws intake air 30 into theconditioned air path 78 through conditioned air intake 28. The intakeair 30 travels through the evaporator coil 64, where it is conditioned,becoming conditioned air 32. The conditioned air 32 then travels intothe evaporator fan 96. The conditioned air 32 is then expelled from theconditioned air path 78 by the evaporator fan 96 through one or moreconditioned air exits 34, 36 or 38.

The operation of the condenser fan 98 draws intake air 30 into theexhaust air path 80 through exhaust air intake 40. The intake air 30travels through the condenser coil 62, where it is converted intoexhaust air 42. The exhaust air 42 then travels into the condenser fan98. The exhaust air 42 is then expelled from the exhaust air path 80 bythe condenser fan 98 through one or more exhaust air exits 44, 46 or 48.Optionally, the blower guard 100 may be positioned between the condenserfan 98 and the exhaust air exits 44, 46 and 48, such that the exhaustair 42 passes through the blower guard 100 prior to exiting the exhaustair path 80 through one or more exhaust air exits 44, 46 or 48.

One advantage of the present invention is that the electronic controlcircuit 84 is isolated from the conditioned air path 78 and the exhaustair path 80 by electronics partitions 86 and 88, so that if anelectrical fire occurs during operation, the fire is contained withinthe space defined by the electronics partitions 86 and 88. Therefore,the fire is prevented from entering the conditioned air path 78 or theexhaust air path 80 where the evaporator fan 96 or the condenser fan 98,respectively, would facilitate the fires growth and expel it from thehousing 12 through the conditioned air exits 34, 36 or 38 or through theexhaust air exits 44, 46 or 48.

Another advantage of the present invention is to allow easy access forrepair of the self-contained climate control system 10 after the systemhas been installed, through the electronic access panel 102. Theelectronic access panel 102 drastically reduces the repair difficultyand cost by providing easy access to the electronic control circuit 84.

An additional advantage of the present invention is that the electronicspartitions 86 and 88 provide a safety barrier during repair so that atechnician is not injured by components of the conditioned air path 78or the exhaust air path 80.

A further advantage of the present invention is that the blower guard100 also serves to protect a technician during repair from contact withthe condenser fan 98.

Although this invention has been shown and described with respect to thedetailed embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled inthe art that various changes in form and detail thereof may be madewithout departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. Forexample, although conditioned air exits 34, 36 and 38 and exhaust airexits 44, 46 and 48 have been shown as rectangular openings, these exitscan have various shapes to accommodate a variety of ducting.

1. A self-contained climate control system comprising: a housingdefining a conditioned air path and an exhaust air path; a refrigerationcircuit disposed within the housing; an electronic control circuit forcontrolling the refrigeration circuit; and an at least one electronicspartition; wherein the at least one electronics partition separates theelectronic control circuit from the conditioned air path and the exhaustair path.
 2. The self-contained climate control system according toclaim 1, wherein an at least one housing partition separates theconditioned air path and the exhaust air path.
 3. The self-containedclimate control system according to claim 1, wherein the width of thehousing fits between standard wall studs.
 4. The self-contained climatecontrol system according to claim 1, wherein the housing is 14.5 incheswide.
 5. The self-contained climate control system according to claim 1,wherein the housing includes an electronic access panel allowing accessto the electronic control circuit from the exterior of the housing. 6.The self-contained climate control system according to claim 5, whereinthe electronic access panel is coupled to the housing.
 7. Theself-contained climate control system according to claim 5, wherein theelectronic control circuit is fixedly mounted to the electronic accesspanel.
 8. The self-contained climate control system according to claim1, wherein the exhaust air path includes a blower guard.
 9. Theself-contained climate control system according to claim 1, wherein thecondenser fan is an impeller blower.
 10. The self-contained climatecontrol system according to claim 1, wherein the evaporator fan is animpeller blower.
 11. A self-contained climate control system comprising:a housing defining a conditioned air path and an exhaust air path; arefrigeration circuit disposed within the housing; an electronic controlcircuit for controlling the refrigeration circuit; and an electronicaccess panel; wherein the electronic control circuit is fixedly mountedto the electronic access panel.
 12. The self-contained climate controlsystem according to claim 11, wherein an at least one housing partitionseparates the conditioned air path and the exhaust air path.
 13. Theself-contained climate control system according to claim 11, wherein thewidth of the housing fits between standard wall studs.
 14. Theself-contained climate control system according to claim 11, wherein thehousing is 14.5 inches wide.
 15. The self-contained climate controlsystem according to claim 11, wherein the exhaust air path additionallycomprises a blower guard.
 16. The self-contained climate control systemaccording to claim 11, wherein the condenser fan is an impeller blower.17. The self-contained climate control system according to claim 11,wherein the evaporator fan is an impeller blower.
 18. A method of makinga self-contained climate control system comprising the steps of:providing a housing defining a conditioned air path and an exhaust airpath; installing a refrigeration circuit within the housing;partitioning the conditioned air path from the exhaust air path;installing an electronic control circuit for controlling therefrigeration circuit; and partitioning the electronic control circuitfrom both the conditioned air path and the exhaust air path.
 19. Themethod according to claim 18, additionally comprising the step ofinstalling an electronic access panel in the housing for providingaccess to the electronic control circuit from the exterior of thehousing.
 20. The method according to claim 19, additionally comprisingthe step of fixedly mounting the electronic control circuit to theelectronic access panel.